This was a train repair yard back in the day, but as we can see, repairs haven't been carried out for quite some time. The yard fell into a gradual decline after the Soviets buggered off, and eventually closed for good in 2009. There were plans to reopen it as a museum in 2011, but this never happened. At least, not officially. Anyone can swing by to check them out. People were walking their dogs here without even glancing at these big metal contraptions. They're just the background now.
But not to me. Let's take a look!
I am quite fond of old trains. I was a huge Thomas nerd back in my early years. From an urbex perspective I tend to prefer shipwrecks more, but trains are still cool and eerie.
Ever since its manufacture in the the far-flung year of 1919, this wreck that I've affectionately named "Trainted Love" has been chugging all over Europe. Only two examples of it exist in Poland today, and some people even refer to this one as the last of its kind, which means the other one must look really bad. How depressing.
This model of train was based on some locomotives that Poland obtained from Germany after the first world war. Predictably the Germans yoinked them all in 1939, and the Soviets later yoinked a bunch from the Germans. After the war, Poland re-acquired them, and used them mainly at seaports and collieries for industrial purposes. Most of them served right up until the 1970s.
This one was retired in 1976, and in 1997 it was taken to a town called Krzeszowice, and just abandoned. By 2007 people were seemingly sick of looking at it, and dumped it here instead, presumably with the goal of fixing it up prior to the yards closure.
And, I am delighted to say, I have photos of it from its active years!
(Photo not mine, obviously)
This photo is from 1975, and it's depicting this exact train. Those two men at the cab may well have been among the last men to work on it.
I wonder what they'd think if they could see it now.
Onto the next locomotive!
Keeping things thematic, I have named this one "Bosteamian Railpsody."
This is why I have no friends.
In 1947, Poland purchased one hundred freight locomotives from America, and they must have liked what they got because they decided to model this train on them. 232 were made in total, this one being manufactured in 1954. They're said to be the heaviest Polish steam locomotive, although I have also heard that this was said for publicity and it wasn't actually true.
Most were retired in the 1980s, but in its short lifetime it gained a reputation as being pretty damn powerful and impressive, achieving two things that no modern British train has ever matched- being reliable and being good value for money.
Once again, I have a photo of this train in its heyday.
(Photo not mine, obviously)
I'm not sure when this photo was taken but for Transformers nerds out there, it kinda gives me Astrotrain vibes. I should have gone with "Purple Train."
Production of this particular train stopped in 1958. This one enjoyed a pretty good career, retiring in 1989. It ended up on display in 1993 and then taken here and dumped in 2001. Let's hop on board!
All the bits and bobs in the cabin are pretty interesting.
We can totally climb on top of it too! This is awesome!
As for the train repair yard, and the nearby station, there are conflicting dates for when it was established. Some say 1908 and others say 1884. Either way, it was initially owned by a chap called Carl Ludwig Bahn, whose railway empire spanned the Austrian-controlled regions of what is now Poland. Back then, Poland itself was very different. And by very different, I mean practically non-existent. It had been divided up by the Austrians, the Prussians and the Russians, and wouldn't gain independence until after the first world war, ending 123 years of foreign rule, and leaving the Germans and Russians a little bit miffed.
Once Poland gained independence, train repair facilities expanded in 1927 with more and more buildings being constructed. It expanded again under Nazi occupation and then the Soviets tore a load of the buildings down in 1960. The repair yard would continue operation until 2009.
These carriages are quite charming, being very reminiscent of old Annie and Clarabelle, the two sentient beings shackled to the back of Thomas and dragged all over Sodor against their will for the amusement of the little bags of flesh that sit inside them.
In retrospect, the entire concept of Thomas the Tank Engine is pretty grim.
Some random poetry decorates the side of this carriage.
Slipping onto the carriages was a piece of cake. Staying on them was another story, with such flimsy floors.
But it is pretty cool seeing these old seating areas and thinking about all the people who would have sat here over the years, on their commute or on other journeys.
Think of the conversations had, and the crossword puzzles completed and the books read all within these walls.
These aren't like modern carriages either. These are the old-fashioned type that have a singular corridor passing small private rooms.
The old grab hooks still hang from the ceiling.
But everything else is rather charred and grim. It seems that at some point someone decided to set these relics on fire, likely eliminating all hope of them ever being restored.
Nevertheless, I would still welcome these carriages with open arms if they were added to any British train. I don't care if they're crispy, termite infested and falling to bits.
Anyone who has ever travelled via train in the UK will be familiar with the absurd decision of having one or two carriages for the busiest lines, meaning everyone is just crammed in together, having more unwanted physical contact than a teenage girl at Prince Andrew's house. Having these wrecks added on would probably be a Health & Safety improvement.
Onto the best part of any abandoned place, the toilet.
Still in better condition than the toilets in some pubs and clubs.
It's barely recognisable but you can still see the grab rail, the toilet roll holder, the hole in the floor for your poop... My thumb over the goddamn lens!!! Goddammit, I had just one job!
This carriage is full of clothes, which is kinda creepy.
Alas, it seems bleak, but there is hope. Apparently there were once a lot more locomotives here than there were when I went here, with some plucky young urbexers even referring to it as the world's largest train graveyard. Looking at it here, that doesn't seem remotely believable. But apparently even since my visit, only one of the trains remains. Someone is gradually snapping them up, either to be scrapped or restored for museums. Hopefully the latter.
There are a few more little gems to see before we call it a day.
Check out this old clock. It definitely looks Soviet in design, but I might be wrong.
But that's all I've got. These trains are very enjoyable and easily doable for the casual urbexer who doesn't want anything too challenging. Of course, anyone who wants to see them had better be quick!
My next blog will be one of those "time capsule" houses that urbexers like to slather in clickbait. I'm not usually drawn to those ones, but this one is pretty fun.
In the meantime, if you like my blogs and want to stay updated then the best way is probably just to check back periodically. But if you want "Hard Mode" then follow me on the algorithmic hellscapes that are modern social media. I'm on Boomer 4Chan, better known as Facebook, and I'm on Instagram, better known as shit. I'm also on Twitter for some reason.
But really I want to promote the likes of Vero, Cara and Bluesky, apps that achieve what social media should be doing, which is letting us see the people we actually choose to follow, regardless of if they paid some rich nonce for visibility. So give me a follow there!
Thanks for reading!
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